Mike Gordon brings solo tour to Boulder October 5, 2003 - Boulder Daily Camera By Matt Sebastian Weird instrumentation's nothing new for Phish bassist Mike Gordon, who plays a washing machine and dryer on his debut solo album and has spent years watching drummer John Fishman wrangle notes from vacuum cleaners. So it's not entirely shocking to learn Gordon has an equally offbeat addition in mind for the band that'll be supporting him on his inaugural solo tour, which comes to Boulder's Fox Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday: a tap dancer. "It's sort of a new experience to have a tap dancer in a rock band — not just sometimes, but full time, throughout the show," Gordon says, quite seriously, of dancer Jeannie Hill. "I'm really excited about it. I'm really hoping that she and (drummer) Doug (Belote) will become a unit. She does these really intricate melodies and rhythms with her feet, and at the same time she's twirling around and smiling. "It's such a nice element to have." Gordon's brief, eight-city tour begins tonight in San Francisco, so it's too early to tell how well tap dancing fits into his sound. But judging by his hard-to-classify new album, Inside In, Gordon is more than willing to engage his every sonic whim. The record, released in August, is built around the music from Gordon's experimental 2000 film "Outside Out." The bassist took the instrumental tracks from the movie and, working in several bursts over the ensuing years, expanded and rearranged the music, adding lyrics for some songs, plus instrumental contributions from guests including Fishman, Bela Fleck and Colonel Bruce Hampton. The music isn't as traditionally jammy as Phish's material; instead, Gordon blends a variety of styles, from folk and rock to bluegrass and country twang, often infusing the sewn-together material with fractured beats and off-kilter melodies. In addition to the appliances, Gordon played guitar, keyboards, percussion and, of course, bass on the record. "I like strange juxtapositions," Gordon says on the eve of tour rehearsals. "I like to mix things up, but hopefully not to the point where it's gross. I try to stay within the bounds of tastefulness, and I think I managed to do that on this record." Inside In gave Gordon a chance to show off on his "second-favorite instrument," the pedal steel guitar, which is featured across the album. "Pedal steel's always struck a deep nerve for me, so it's pretty much become the lead instrument" on Inside In, he says. "I like the emotion. It just feels like some deep, longing sound to me. It does it for me in a way that no other instrument does." Gordon's road trip comes between treks with Phish, the 20-year-old king of today's jam-band scene. Since ending a much-needed hiatus last New Year's Eve, Phish has vowed to simplify its collective life. The band, which played a sold-out concert Pepsi Center earlier this year, has slashed its touring schedule; this fall, Phish is playing just four shows, followed by another four-date run over New Year's. "It's become really important for us to leave time in the schedule for all kinds of different projects," Gordon says. "It improves the band as a whole if the band members are able to grow on their own a little bit." Gordon credits Phish's two-year break with rejuvenating the band. While on break, Gordon completed Inside In, made another film (the Gov't Mule documentary "Rising Low") and recorded an album, Clone, with Leo Kottke. Guitarist Trey Anastasio cut his own solo album and also formed Oysterhead with Primus' Les Claypool and ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland, while Fishman played with Pork Tornado and keyboardist Page McConnell debuted Vida Blue. When Phish reconvened last fall to try out some new material before the New Year's reunion, inspiration struck, resulting in Round Room, which was released just a few months later. "We were just supposed to be doing demos, but we were all excited," Gordon recalls. "Trey had some music that had a new level of development and maturity, and we were just chomping at the bit to record it." Although another Phish album is on the agenda for next year, Gordon says he's focusing on his own music for now. The shows in Boulder — the only city to get two dates — will include material from Inside In, covers and other bandmates' songs. "I can't wait to get out there and play with these guys," Gordon says of his band, which includes James Harvey on keyboards and Gordon Stone on pedal steel and banjo. "It's such a cool combination of personalities. I'm most excited, honestly, just to be able to hang out with these people. It's such a cool group." Article Copyright © 2003 Boulder Daily Camera